Saturday, December 19, 2015

Eva's Cafe, W. Mitchell Street

Well, this blog, which only had about six posts to begin with, decided to take a six-month hiatus as its author fell off the eating and writing wagon and chose to do other things. By Jove, it takes dedication to consume many a flour tortilla and barbacoa plate, then scribble about it before you fall into a Mexican food coma, and this guy's ready to take on the job once again.

I guess one reason why I got back to it today of all days is just 'cause it's so damn nice outside. Now, some may designate 67 degrees and partly cloudy as unseasonably warm, and they may not be too far off the mark, but I'm not going to argue with crisp, fall-like weather when we really should be diving into winter. I mean, it's South Texas. What do you want?

So, as I got home at about 12:45 after a brief run on the river, I looked at the map to quickly figure out where I'd undo all that exercise before the customary two o'clock closing time. It had to be someplace close, and I was wanting to check out a joint in my neighborhood anyway. I scanned along Mitchell Street and came across a little coffee cup icon for a restaurant called Eva's Cafe. It had been reviewed positively by a few people, and, needing to get out the door, I decided to go for it.

I was glad to visit this location for two reasons. First, it's a quick drive (or a slightly less-quick walk) from my house, and, secondly, it's right where Mitchell Street hits the San Antonio River, real close to Mission Road, making it an ideal breakfast/lunch break during a stroll along the south side of the river, or a visit to Mission Concepción.

It feels kind of tucked away by itself, characteristic of the South Side, which doesn't always feel terribly urban. Surrounded by nicely spaced-out houses on Mitchell Street, you feel, in a way, like you're in a small town, as opposed to a city of 1.4 million.

The parking lot in front was full, a good sign. I grabbed a space beside the restaurant and walked in to discover green walls, white Christmas lights, and Mexican artwork. There was a painting of a Día de los Muertos skeleton saying "Mi casa es mi casa", and a photo of the restaurant being watched over by a translucent Jesus and Virgin Mary.

I was pretty hungry when I walked in, so I quickly ordered coffee and a barbacoa plate. For some reason, I was craving that greasy cheek, so I went for that and was happy with what I got, a big plate with refried beans, potatoes, pico de gallo, and a large portion of barbacoa, with flour tortillas and guacamole to the side. Now, I'm not an expert on barbacoa, but I found this rather delicious, moist, meaty, and fatty, which as far as I can tell are the quintessential qualities of barbacoa. It was especially nice with the homemade tortillas, guac, and pico de gallo (The jalapeño chopped up in there added the perfect amount of heat.). My barriga was llena and corazón contento once it was all eaten. No complaints at all.

Well, almost. The cafe could stand to be a bit cleaner. There was a fair amount of trash on the floor, and the bathrooms needed a little work. Other than that, though, I enjoyed it and would go again.